Too Late
by Mewpet2
Summary: In Eclipse, while Edward is facing of Victoria and Riley, Seth arrives a few minutes late and has a massive impact on the outcome of the battle... My first go at Fanfiction. Please be kind. R
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight- Stephanie Meyer does.**

**This starts of from where Victoria and Riley corner Bella and Edward outside the tent in Eclipse (Page 483).  
**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter One**

_Riley's jaw tightened, and he squared his shoulders. His eyes emptied- there was no more confusion, no more suspension. There was no thought at all. He tensed himself to attack._

_ Victoria's body seemed to be trembling, she was so tightly wound. Her fingers were ready claws, waiting for Edward to move just one inch away from me..._

Then Riley attacked with a fierce guttering snarl and Edward moved to the left to defend himself from the attack. That one small movement had dire consequences- Victoria pounced and connected a strong blow to my chest with her stone hand that sent me reeling back and falling to the ground.

As I gasped for air, I felt her breath on my neck, right above my jugular vein. He touch was soft at first, almost caring, then I felt her sharp, venom-coated teeth piercing my thin skin.

I could only gasp in surprise- I had no breath left to scream. No breath left to call Edward to help me.

But then I heard a deep, ground-shaking roar. It didn't _sound _like a vampire, but I couldn't be sure, as Victoria's greedy pulls on my blood left me feeling very lightheaded and dizzy. Then, all of a sudden, she was gone, her lips, and teeth, were torn from my throat as though by some invisible force, and I managed to lift my head enough to look down.

It was Seth- I recognised the sandy-coloured fur of the young werewolf as it blurred at the speed he was travelling. He was racing after Victoria- I saw her vivid fiery hair as she raced towards the dark tree line.

I moved my eyes to the left and saw Edward and Riley. They moved so fast they were blurred, but when they slowed down to circle each other again in some deadly dance, I saw Edward was winning. Riley had lost a right arm and half of his torso, his shirt was ripped and torn of completely in places, but Edward seemed unharmed. They were both snarling- feral snarls that would have had me shaking in fear if I had been able too, but I was too weak.

Then I felt a warm wetness seeping into my shirt and I gathered enough energy to look down and I instantly wished I hadn't as my head span and my stomach threatened to bring up my last meal.

It was blood. A _lot _of blood.

It was red, warm, sticky and it oozed from the wound on my neck, courtesy of Victoria. I hoped for a second that it would distract Riley enough that Edward could get a few hits in while he was distracted by the blood lust.

That's when I felt an all too familiar burning pain start in my throat.

I remembered the burning pain from when James had bitten me last year but I could hardly compare it to this. This was absolute, agonising torture. _Much _worse than before. I couldn't compare _this _pain to anything.

I suddenly wished I _had _passed out when I had seen the blood. Maybe then I wouldn't be in so much pain- that I could put it of for a little while.

I screamed.

I screwed my eyes shut and screamed for all I was worth- anything to release the pain I was feeling, the unending burning, the fire ripping its way through my chest and towards my still beating heart.

In my burning state, I could vaguely hear a cry of pain, and feral growls and snarls and sounds of stone against stone. I tried desperately to work out who they were coming from, but my mind was shutting down almost. Everything was blurring into one long stream of fading pictures. I could hardly remember my own name.

Then I heard someone calling my name, but it seemed to be from miles away. I knew the voice, knew it so well. I just couldn't place a name. It was eating me inside, just like the fire, almost more painful, because I knew the name was important. It was someone I cared about.

The fire was eating at every nerve in my body, and it was so intense, I could hardly breathe to scream, yet I carried on, each flame that licked at me induced a new cry of utter agony.

I couldn't imagine worse pain. Not in all my life. I had been lucky before. I hadn't had to endure the pain for very long...

the fire, if possible, became even more intense, but I held back my new screams. Every time I cried out, I could hear someone else's sob. Then it all clicked into place in my mind, and I wondered what I was thinking. How could I have forgotten Edward? My life, my love. My... fiancée.

I cursed Victoria to the fiery depths of hell, so she could burn just like I was, and hoped that Seth had caught up with her before she could do any damage to anyone else.

I focused on Edward at that point, and did so throughout the burning pain. When I did, it was like the burning faded almost to the background, but still enough to hurt, just not as bad. It brought relief, a gratifying relief that I welcomed with open arms.

I don't know how long I burned for, but I could hear voices around me, and sobs and cries and grunts of pain. I wished I could see what was happening- I needed to know if my family was alright. I wanted to know if they had defeated the newborns and who had been injured. Or wors-

I would _not _allow my mind to think of that. Not when I was already in so much pain. I guess this is what you got when you hung around with vampires. An untimely death. Edward was right.

For a split second after I thought of that, I was enraged with Edward, before I reasoned that none of this was his fault, and being angry would only make him hate himself even more- because I knew that was how he would be feeling right now. He would wish he had saved me. Because he had promised he would protect me.

_Curse Victoria_. I thought again. _Why did she have to ruin everything?_

I could hear murmurs around me, and I could hear Edward was speaking to me. He was telling me to hold on, that it would be over soon, that he was very sorry, that he should never, _ever_ have let anyone hurt me. He was also crying, dry sobbing right next to me and it broke my heart- hurting me even more than the fire was.

I wished I could tell him this wasn't his fault. It was no ones fault, but Victoria's. It was her fault she had messed up our life and our plans for the future. I had no time to tell Charlie, or any of my human friends goodbye before I became a newborn that thirsted for their blood and couldn't even see them, for risk of ripping their throats out.

I promised myself I would be strong enough never to taste human blood. I would be a vegetarian, and like Carlisle, I would never even _try _to drink from a human. I would make them all of my family proud.

Then, if possible, the burning receded into a final battle with my heart. I could hear it, each individual beat of my pumping organ as it battled in vain with the fire that coursed through me. It was a fight it could never win, no matted how much I forced my heart to try.

My back arched in pain, almost shattering the little control I had over my screams. I would not scream- I would not put Edward through the emotional pain of listening to me in agony as I burned. I was glad, as I usually was, that he couldn't read my mind.

The fire in my body had consumed everything else and there was nothing but my fragile, failing, human heart left. I could hear them both struggle for dominance, but it was a doomed battle for both of them.

The fire gave a surge- one last, agonising surge- and my heart lost the fight, to be overwhelmed by the inferno. My heart stuttered, I listened and counted my last heartbeats.

One... Two..... Three....... Then silence.

the fire, having consumed everything in me, went out and everything was quiet. Nothing moved. No one was breathing, though I guessed that all the Cullen's were gathered round where I was resting.

I was soaring with relief from the lack of pain and it was all I could think about for a few moments. I revelled in the silence and was slightly disconcerted after a few seconds by the loss of heartbeat.

Still, nothing moved. I wasn't even breathing myself, I realised with another very disconcerting jolt.

I opened my eyes.

* * *

**A/N: First try at Fanfiction, not sure what to do next though, but I'll go with whatever works.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own Twilight- Stephanie Meyer does.**

**Thank you to the people who gave me reviews! I never expected to get any! They made me so happy and made me want to write more! Thank you again!  
**

**For when she wakes up, I got a bit of inspiration from Breaking Dawn when Bella becomes a vampire.  
**

_

* * *

Everything, _was so absolutely, and amazingly CLEAR!

I could see _everything_ in sharp, well defined detail. It was almost like changing a television from regular, to High Definition. The difference was amazing.

After I had had my eyes closed for so long, the light in the room should have blinded me. But that was my old eyes. With these enhanced ones, I could look directly into the light, and not be blinded like I should be.

The room was lit with a single bulb, hanging directly in the centre of the room. I could see the tiny, brightly glowing filament inside, as it created an almost rainbow effect. It was quite beautiful, and I saw an eighth colour I had never seen before.

The ceiling was wooden and I could see all the individual grains in the wooden boards. I was enthralled by this new sight, but I had idea where I was. I guessed that the Cullen's had moved me while I was changing. I shouldn't have been surprised- they wouldn't just leave me in the forest would they? I must be in the Cullen mansion.

I inhaled, and it felt wrong, but relieving at the same time. And I could smell _everything_ as well. There were delicious scents nearby, and I recognised them as my family, though much more concentrated then before I was changed.

I could also _hear _everything. But no one was moving, and no one was breathing- except me. I was slightly disconcerted again by my lack of movement. It was strange, but I was sure I would get used to it. After all, I had an eternity, right?

Then I sat up in a fluid, fast movement that surprised me- I had never been so graceful all my life. When I was still human, I had been so clumsy, just sitting up would have made me off-balance, but obviously, being a vampire had changed me completely.

Then I looked down, and saw my family. Jasper and Emmett were at the front, Alice peered out from behind Jaspers elbow, a small, encouraging smile on her petite face. I could see Carlisle and Esme behind her, and Rosalie stood half behind Emmett, a curious expression on her beautiful face.

They were all even more beautiful now, with my enhanced sight and I gazed at them all in absolute wonder. Then, I spotted Edward, standing a little way away from the others, his mouth slightly open, his eyes wide and... amazed?

If I had thought Edward looked beautiful before, it was nothing to how he looked now. I could even find words to describe him and my own mouth fell open with awe and I couldn't look at anything next.

I was frozen for almost a minute before Edward moved towards me, slowly, with measured, cautious steps. He held out his snow-white hand and he seemed wary, even frightened of me, of what I could do.

I took his hand in a lightning fast movement and he pulled me to my feet. I also noticed our skin was the same temperature now. It was strange- I was so used to him being colder than me.

I expected myself to feel light-headed at the sudden movement, but my balance was perfect and I stood on the floor next to the table I had previously been lying on. My pyre.

"Bella?" he asked. His voice was even more incredible now, if it was possible. I could listen to it forever and a day.

I just leant my head slightly to one side.

"Love, I know its disconcerting, but you'll get used to it." he promised me, his voice soothing and relaxing.

Would I? I couldn't imagine right now ever being used to something like this.

He must have sensed my disbelief, because he smiled at me reassuringly and told me, in a voice that held nothing but truth and sincerity, "You look stunning, by the way."

I raised an eyebrow, and looked at the other Cullen's for confirmation. I noticed Alice was missing, but I had barely registered that before she reappeared in a flash, a full length, gilded mirror in her hands.

"If you don't believe him, take a look a yourself Bella. Then tell us you don't look beautiful." Alice trilled of in her usual high, wind-chime voice but it still sounded so different to when I was human.

I was still sceptical as I looked in the mirror, but my breath caught when I saw my reflection, and not just because of my vivid red eyes that reminded me so much of Victoria's hair and sent a stab of fear into my gut. It was because I _was _beautiful!

My skin was even paler than before, if I hadn't seen vampires before, I would have thought it was impossible, and my hair, darker now, was now made of full, bouncy curls, that glimmered in the light. My mouth, reddened by the transformation and plumper than usual, actually fell open at the beauty of this strange person in the mirror. It was me, but then, it wasn't. I was focused on the eyes, the vivid flames that seemed to almost glow scarlet...

"You're eyes will change soon, love." Edward told me, sensing my shock easily as I stared in horror.

I looked at him questioningly, wondering _exactly _how long that would take, but was caught up in the beauty that is Edward once again. My mouth fell open, and I was dumbstruck. Silent.

He looked at me, curious as to my astonishment and I whispered, "I love you."

He was surprised, but pleased, "and I love you too, my Isabella." he replied, his voice soft.

I smiled shyly at him, uncertain of what to do. But he did it for me when he stepped fluidly over to me and placed his arms carefully around my body. Again, I noticed that he was no longer cold, that we were the same temperature, and that he no longer felt like stone. He was almost soft... I then threw my own arms around him with unstoppable enthusiasm and hugged him as tight as I could to me. After what had happened, I never wanted to let him go.

"Ow. Bella. Ow." he complained, trying to shift himself in my grasp.

I instantly let him go, worried I'd hurt him. He just gave a nervous chuckle, "don't worry, love. You're just a bit stronger than me at the moment- you _are _a newborn after all."

It took a while for that information to sink in. I was stronger than Edward. It was strange- surreal almost. It just didn't seem possible, I had been so used to being so much weaker- and clumsier- around him it just seemed...

my train of thought was cut of when I suddenly felt his soft lips pressed tenderly to mine and all thought flew out of the window. Wave after wave of desire swept through me and I clutched myself to him- remembering in the back of my frenzied mind to be gentle as I kissed him back.

I may not have needed oxygen now, but I sure was panting like I never had before. Edward had _never _kissed me like _this_. But I suppose he had had to hold out on me when I was human. He was kissing me with the same amount of ferocity, and I bowed my body against his...

I remembered then that we weren't alone and I pulled away from Edward, waiting for the tell-tale blush to spread to my cheeks from the embarrassment. But it never came- I would just have to get used to that.

The Cullen's all looked rather uncomfortable as they looked at us and I just grinned sheepishly at them, waiting for Emmett's teasing, but it never came as it was then, I wondered what the outcome of the battle was, as it had slipped my mind when I had woken.

"What happened?" I asked.

Everyone instantly knew what I was talking about and became cautious and much more sombre, and I was instantly aware that something had happened, something very important. My muscles tensed and my eyes narrowed as my nostrils flared. "What happened?" I asked again, my voice lower, almost a growl.

"Bella, love..." whispered Edward cautiously. I just fixed my glare on him and he flinched fractionally.

"Tell me." I ground out.

"Bella, it was one of the wolves..." he told me slowly.

My heart, if it was still beating, would have stopped. Which one? Not Jacob? Please not Jacob!

I felt the calm being forced upon me and I looked at Jasper suspiciously but I accepted the calm, I needed to stay focused.

"Who?" I asked, my voice calmer but underlaid with anxiousness and fear.

Edward clearly wasn't going to say anything, so I turned to the rest of the Cullen's.

"Who was it?" I asked again, my fear and anger mounting up a notch.

"It wasn't Jacob." Carlisle reasurred me, trying to sooth my on-edge nerves.

I let out a sigh of relief, but it was almost gone as quickly as it appeared. It may not be Jacob, but it still meant someone else had been hurt. Who was it? Quil? Embry? Sam?

The anxiousness mounted to a peak I had never experienced before and my heart- what was left of it anyway- was in my mouth. I couldn't even breathe and I was glad I didn't need to as Edward told me what I needed to know, even if I didn't want to hear it.

"Bella, love. It was Seth."

* * *

**A/N: I thought this would be a good place to end it. Please review- constructive criticism welcome! Tell me if its rubbish or worth continuing.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own Twilight- Stephanie Meyer does.**

* * *

I was too stunned to move, even my new mind seemed to be frozen in shock. Was it possible for Seth to be hurt? How badly had he been injured? Please say he was just injured!

"How bad." I choked out. It sounded strange with my new bell-like voice.

The Cullen's all seemed very nervous now, as though they were worried about how I would take it. Even Alice was gloomy. Bad news. _Very _bad news. Alice was _never _gloomy unless something _really _bad had happened- or was going to happen at least.

"Tell me, _please_." I begged. I felt Edwards arms around me, trying to comfort me. It told me everything I needed to know.

My body convulsed with sobs that could now never turn into tears and Edward tried to speak to me, to calm me down- but I seemed to be in shock. A vampire in shock. It was kind of ironic, if I wasn't wishing I could cry, I would have laughed. It was a strange feeling.

"Is he...?" I couldn't say it. It would make it seem too true.

"There was nothing anyone could have done." Edward whispered into my ear, but his voice didn't sooth me like it usually did, it just confirmed what I was scared of. Someone I loved, had been hurt, because of me.

"This is all my fault." I sobbed without tears, but my eyes prickled uncomfortably all the same. They had all been trying to protect me. This was all my fault.

"No, don't say that, love." said Edward, his voice sounded heartbroken but I couldn't lift my head to see his expression.

I just pressed my head into his now soft chest and the ultra-emotions I was feeling were overwhelming.

I felt superficial calm placed upon me, and I knew it was Jasper, but I welcomed the calm and sent a wave of gratitude towards the empath as I relaxed into Edwards waiting arms.

"what happened?" I whispered, knowing full well that everyone could hear me.

"You really should hunt first." Carlisle suggested quickly, he was trying to distract me.

I shook my head, "I wont be able to do that until I know what happened." I said firmly, and as I said the words, I knew they were true. I would never be able to concentrate enough to hunt.

Edward opened his mouth to protest and I gave him a glare, daring him to argue with me. I_ needed _to know what had happened. He looked uncertain, I turned to Alice, the one person I knew I could always trust, and she looked up at me, her expression sad.

"We have to tell her." her wind-chime voice was dull and resigned and sad.

I tried to send her a smile- I think it came out in a grimace. One by one they trailed out of the room and Edward pulled me along behind him by my hand. I was right, we were in the Cullen mansion like I had previously guessed. There was also a strong scent in the air that burned my nose when I inhaled, making me crinkle it up. "Ew." I grumbled, "what _is _that smell?"

"Its the werewolves." Edward explained. "They came to check up on you frequently while you were changing."

I nodded my understanding, grateful that they still cared for me, at least while I was still partially human. Where they were now, I had no clue but I guessed they were back on their own territory, with Seth. "And... How long was I... changing?" I asked uncertainly. It had certainly felt longer than three days.

Edward looked at me sideways, but I knew he could see me perfectly well with his peripheral vision. The same peripheral vision I now had. "It was about three and a half days." he said eventually.

My eyebrows knotted together, "three and a half days?" I repeated, surely that was too long.

"Carlisle thinks it was because of the lack of venom in your system. It made it easier for your body to fight back. Obviously not little enough." Edward gave a little grimace. I shuddered as I suddenly recalled Victoria's breath on my neck before she pierced my skin, and the burning pain that followed.

"Is Victoria dead?" I asked, suddenly fearful that she had gotten away.

Edward didn't answer. My stomach knotted in fear. She must have gotten away. She was still out there. After all that had happened, she had still escaped.

"She's still out there." I whispered, my grip on his hand tightened in fear and I saw Edward wince.

"Sorry." I instantly loosened my hold. Edward shot me an apologetic smile.

"you'll get used to it eventually." he reassured me.

By this time we had made our way into the front room, and I was surprised I hadn't tripped up once. A quality to being a vampire, I supposed, was excellent balance. Edward sat on the love seat and pulled me onto his lap with ease and rested his head on my shoulder, his breath tickling my ear.

"Tell me what happened with Seth." I said quietly.

Carlisle looked at me sympathetically, he knew I was close to Seth and that this was hitting me hard. Edward was the one who told me what happened.

"I'm so sorry, Bella." he whispered. "I was stupid to have let Victoria through like that. I should never have let her get close to you."

I sighed, I had known this was coming- he would just blame himself for everything that had happened, just like I was. We matched each other perfectly that way.

"It wasn't your fault. You couldn't protect yourself from Riley _and _protect me from Victoria." I reassured him, squeezing his hands that were clasped around the front of my waist.

Edward grimaced at the reminder and I squeezed him tighter before waiting for the next part.

"I didn't realise until it was too late that Victoria had bitten you." Edward explained. "I was lucky that Seth was there to pull her of you before she... completely drained you." his voice broke at the end of the sentence. I knew this was hard for him to talk about.

"then what?" I asked quietly.

His head was in the crook of my neck, listening for the heartbeat that would never sound again. I wonder if he regretted its absence.

The rest of the Cullen's were looking at us. Edward obviously had already told them, as they waited patiently, not moving or saying anything. Edward gave a sigh and continued.

"Victoria took of into the woods and Seth took after her- there was nothing I could do to help him. You were my first priority. I had to stop Riley before I could help you." he edited something out but I didn't complain. I just continued to look at the floor a few feet away while he breathed heavily on my shoulder.

"He was distracted by your blood- it was easy to get rid of him." again he edited something out but I just waited patiently for him to continue, I was anxious to know what happened to Seth.

I could tell Edward was looking at me- he had lifted his head of my shoulder and his body had shifted slightly. But I didn't look at him. "you had gone quiet but I knew you were in pain," he broke off for a second, then continued. "I didn't know what to do. I knew I had to take you to Carlisle, but they were still fighting. They were close to finishing however and I carried you to the clearing."

he paused again.

"there was nothing I could do about it- I was too far away. I could hear as Seth was chasing Victoria when she turned and started to fight him. You were still in my arms as I ran to help him." Edward placed his head back in the crook of my neck and fell silent for a few minutes.

"I was too late." he whispered and I knew he wasn't going to say anything more.

I felt dreadful, awful. My emotions were magnified and the guilt I was feeling was almost physically hurting me. If I hadn't been in the way, maybe Edward could have run faster and got there in time. If he hadn't been worrying about me, he would have helped Seth chase Victoria.

I felt like I had killed Seth myself.

"Bella, there's nothing to be feeling guilty about." said Jasper, speaking for the first time since my change. I jumped at the new voice. His was different too, deeper, gentler and I could hear the southern twang clearer too. I looked at him closely for the first time and noticed the scars that marred his flawless face. I was stunned at how well I could see them now, each mark, each set of teeth that had pierced his vampire skin. There seemed to be thousands.

They screamed danger and I tensed, and surprised myself by suddenly growling as I observed Jasper. He seemed to expect this reaction from me and just watched me, smiling slightly as I froze, realising I had just growled at my soon-to-be brother.

The Cullen's all watched this exchange warily, but when I calmed myself down, Jasper was the one who smiled. "Sorry." I said, embarrassed, and feeling guilty for growling at Jasper.

"Its natural, love." Edward whispered into my ear, making me shiver even though he wasn't cold.

Edward seemed amused with my reaction and I quickly tried to distract him.

"what happened to Victoria?" I asked.

The Cullen's looked at each other, "she got away," Emmett grumbled, and I jumped at his new voice like I had done with Jaspers.

But those three words placed a fear in my heart and I would never relax until I knew she would be no trouble to me, or my family ever again.

"Poor Seth." I whispered. "how's Leah coping?"

they didn't answer. I could guess that she wanted nothing more to do with vampires ever again. I felt so sorry for her.

"did anyone else get hurt?" I asked anxiously.

Alice glanced at Jasper who was suddenly rubbing something on his shoulder- I guessed he had a few new scars. "Jasper?" I asked.

He looked at me, then shrugged and looked away again. He didn't want me to care, but I couldn't help it. Edward distracted me again. "We'll get Victoria in our own time- meanwhile, love, you _really _need to hunt."

at the thought of blood, my throat began to build into a fierce burning that I hadn't noticed before. I yelped and my hands flew to my throat as I gasped for breath.

"Im sorry." Edward said in an apologetic tone.

I nodded, he was right, I needed to hunt _now_.

It was at that moment that Alice gasped and everyone instantly froze in place and looked towards her anxiously, all silently dreading when she told us what she was seeing.

The vision lasted only a few seconds, but it seemed to me like an eternity, before she whispered, her voice shaking. "Its the Volturi. They're coming."

* * *

**A/N: Good or Bad? Constructive criticism very welcome.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight- Stephanie Meyer does.**

** I also took a little inspiration from Bella's first hunt in Breaking Dawn.

* * *

**

Could it be true? Were the Volturi coming?

The burn in my throat was forgotten as a near hysterical panic built up inside me. Edward's arms tightened around me at the mention of the Italian vampires and I knew he was remembering the last time we had seen them.

Then I felt the calm placed on me by Jasper and it seemed to affect everyone in the room. We all seemed to relax slightly, but we were still tense, worried, even if it was pushed to the side by Jasper's influence for the time being.

"Are you sure, Alice?" asked Carlisle, the only one who could remain fairly calm at the mention of the Volturi.

Alice nodded her head, eyes wide and worried. "they wanted to sort out the newborn problem, but now they just want to check up on Bella." Her topaz eyes turned to gaze at me and they were uncertain.

"But I'm a Vampire now, right?" I asked, laughing humourlessly, "There's no need to worry?" my voice sounded hopeful even to my own ears.

For a while, no one answered and I was beginning to feel the burn at the back of my throat again as I waited but I pushed my own need to the side as I focused on a more dangerous problem.

Then Edward seemed to snap out of his daze and he looked at me, "Come on, love. You need to hunt."

"Hunt..." I murmured, feeling the burn return at full force, making me screw my face up and cup my throat.

Edward looked at me, agony visible in his perfect gold eyes before he clasped my hand and brought me close to him in a tight embrace.

After a second, he pulled away, tugging me towards the door. "Come on, love." he said, a smile on his face, but it seemed a bit forced.

I followed him willingly, the burn in my throat rising to unspeakable levels as I thought about the prospect of hunting. I had no doubt in my mind that I could kill an animal right now. Hell, I was close to tracking down a human to get rid of this burn. I couldn't wait a moment longer.

I barely registered the fact that I was already running as fast as I could go towards the forest, caught up in my blood-lust induced haze until I came across a wide river. Edward stood next to me, watching me out of the corner of his eye, waiting to see what I would do.

I stood at the edge, staring into the fast flowing water, and at the other bank about fifty yards feet away. Could I do it? Could I jump the river? Even though I felt powerful as a vampire, I still doubted my abilities and there was certainly no way I could jump anywhere in this dress Alice must have put me in when I was changing.

But my throat burned hotter. I had to get across this river and hunt before I went on a rampage.

"Would you like me to show you?" asked Edward, waiting patiently for me.

I nodded, still not believing it was completely possible. But I stood corrected when Edward took two steps back, before stepping forward quickly with one long stride, kicking off from the bank in one fluid movement.

He landed gracefully on the other side, watching me with an encouraging smile on his face.

I could do this. As a newborn I was stronger than him so if he could do it, so could I.

I took four steps back, but instantly found that my dress was getting in my way, so I tore it up the sides to the top of my thigh. _Much better _I thought and prepared to jump.

Edward was watching me from the other bank. "Bella? Would you like me to show you again?"

I ignored him, more focused on the future positioning of my feet and the burn in my throat to pay him any attention. I remembered exactly what he had done – how he had jumped. Every split second of it in perfect quality.

I could do this easily.

I ran forwards and launched of the edge of the bank, hurtling through the air, watching the river and Edward fly by underneath me. It was almost _too _easy for me, although I was suddenly worried about the trees that stood in my way. I would hate to knock any over, and I hoped Esme wasn't particularly fond of any of them.

But as I fell gracefully to the ground, it was very easy for me to catch a branch with my hand and halt my descent.

I hung one-handed from the branch, silently marvelling how easy it was to do so. I felt almost no strain on my arm, and my legs swung gently beneath me. I could certainly get used to this.

But as soon as I had thought that, my throat, which I had momentarily forgotten, began to burn with renewed fever. I gasped, and I dropped from the tree to crouch on the ground, feeling less like myself and more like an animal as I growled softly in my throat, smelling every scent of the forest and hearing every tiny insect moving, each individual leaf brushing against another, the distant rushing of the river and the rhythmic thumping of each heart, be it large or small.

Recognising the sound of heartbeats, my mouth began to water and my throat burned hotter than ever before. I didn't care about anything else in that moment, I just wanted to kill and slaughter and let the blood gush down my throat.

I felt the last shred of rational thought disappear as a young doe skidded to a sudden, terrified halt in front of me, frozen with fear at my presence, its eyes wide and its heart-beat loud in my ears. I could see the tiny vibration of the jugular in its neck as the blood flowed in powerful pumps and the way its chest expanded and deflated as it took in panicked breaths.

~X~

The next thing I knew, I was standing in the middle of a scene of carnage. Carcasses littered the forest floor with jagged holes ripped from their necks. Blood spattered the ground and what was left of my dress. I could taste it around my mouth and I could see the blood on my hands. I was a monster.

I didn't cry. I just stood there, head bowed, and arms limp at my sides. I felt sorry for killing the animals, but I didn't regret doing it. It was better them, then some human, somewhere, who would never see their family again.

I knew he was standing there, watching me. Eyes full of sadness and pity. I didn't want to look at him, but I did, and he walked slowly over to hold my hand. "Its okay, love." he told me.

I nodded silently. I had to do it. I needed to survive, if not for myself, then for Edward and my new family.

"Come on," he led me away from the destruction I had caused, and we began to run again. I could feel the new blood running through my veins, and it made me feel stronger, made my legs move faster and with more strength behind each stride I made across the ground. I could appreciate the running now, and it was wonderful.

Maybe I had been right earlier. I _could _get used to this.

* * *

**A/N: I hope this chapter was okay. Sorry once again for taking so long to upload, but school really takes up a lot of my time. Please review and tell me what you thought!**


End file.
